1998 Vauxhall Vectra GSi 2.5 V6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A very good performer let down by poor dealership support, unreliable and poor build quality

Faults:

June 1999 - 2nd Service, sump plug left finger tight by Vauxhall Dealer, leaking oil.

September 1999 - Car broke down, gearbox problems, no gears! Had reported to Vauxhall 3 weeks before but they could not find any faults.

February 2000 - 5th Service, reported clutch was slipping, dealer could not find any problems. Next day the clutch died and the car broke down!

July 2000 - Central locking broke, could only access drivers down. All other doors, boot and fuel flap locked!! Also smoke coming from the dashboard, Vauxhall dealer took 3 weeks to fix and did not return any calls or update me.

General Comments:

Poor paint quality on the front bumper, paint chips off very easily.

All speakers blown. Car quality is very poor, a lot of rattles.

Vauxhall do not try to sort problems out.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th July, 2000

1998 Vauxhall Vectra CDX 2.0 16V from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fast and roomy

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Quick and economical. This car is very reliable, it's good on motorways, very comfy and roomy, the boot on the estate is huge and very good for traveling. The best feature of the car is the traction control.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th June, 2000

1998 Vauxhall Vectra SRi 2.5 V6 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Synchromesh changed due to poor gear change.

General Comments:

Incredibly quick to serious speeds without any effort ... The smoothness of the ride means you are always going quicker than you think .. M'lud!!!

The seats are a pain to get into the best driving position ... is this a standard Vauxhall ploy??

Great car and superb engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd January, 2000

1998 Vauxhall Vectra SRi 2.5 V6 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Exhaust manifold gasket blows - causes backfiring when cold.

Electronic ignition failed causing 2 spark plugs to explode.

Apart from that I've had it 18 months and done 70k miles with few problems.

General Comments:

Dreadful seats - No comfort or support.

Whoever designed the handbrake and centre console should be fired.

Poor rear visibility.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th November, 1999

20th Dec 2000, 16:30

Poor seat design is definitely the biggest disappointment. Obtaining a comfortable driving position is very difficult.

On the positive side the car is generally good fun to drive, smooth and quiet. The sound system is excellent.

31st Aug 2001, 13:44

I agree. The car is very good, but the driving position is diabolical. I have only had the car for 3 weeks and I am thinking of getting rid of it unless I can solve the driver seat problem.

10th Jan 2002, 09:06

I have a 2.5 V6 and have covered 107000 miles in just over two years. The car is good, generally, but, in my experience, is let down by very poor service back up. Problems to date have been PAS seal failure @ 5000 miles, brake master cylinder seal failure at 10,000 miles, front suspension tie rods failing every 15 - 20000 miles, chronic electric window failure from new, EGR pipe failure @ 70000 miles and most recently, exhaust manifold crack and cam belt tensioner failure at 107000 miles. Sounds like a lot but the car works hard for it's living. Would I have another? Possibly, but the quality of Vauxhalls service back up has me looking at other makes for it's replacement.

1998 Vauxhall Vectra Arctic 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

A good family car at a very affordable price.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th August, 1999

1998 Vauxhall Vectra LS Estate 1.8 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

None in 32,000 miles from new.

General Comments:

Handling: Uninspiring bordering on poor.

Suspension too soft leading to too much body roll. Steering vague with no feedback to the driver. Wet slippy conditions make it feel dangerous although this could be due to the OE Dunlop tyres. No improvement over my last car, a 1994 Astra Td estate

Performance: Again disappointing. OK up to 70 but ONLY OK. Lacks torque and it's very doubtful if it has anywhere near Vauxhalls claimed bhp figures. Lacks Grunt. Again, contrary to what Jeremy Clarkson says it's no faster than my old 1.7 TD Astra.

Comfort: In 30k miles I've yet to find the ideal position. I think it's there I've just not found it yet although I've had no sore backs in journeys of up to 400 miles. Too much road and wind noise at high speed. Again no better than the Astra it replaced.

Overall: The car's a nice looker outside and plush enough in. Has all the right comforts, CD, Air con etc. All controls easy to reach and use. Well designed cabin. Overall it's a good car badly let down by poor performance and terrible handling. If you always travel within the speed limits it's fine. If not forget it and buy something else.

Would I have another?

I doubt it. Vauxhall needs to work really hard to get their cars right. It took them 3 years to rectify serious handling problems with the old Astras and even then they only made them marginally better. Why have they done the same with the Vectra?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 18th May, 1999

6th Feb 2009, 12:08

Hmm, the Vectra, where do I start?

Had a couple now, but that's down to my being unable to choose what I want. Had the V6 SRi and found it to be an OK car.

Next came the current one, a V6 Estate CDX. This car is fantastic. Handles extremely well (especially in the snow with the traction control on) mpg is on the average side for a V6, approx 36 on a motorway run, 28-32 round town. Seats are comfortable, driving position very good, loads of space in the Vectra and a very easy to load boot area.

Gone are the problems that Vauxhall started out with in the early Vectra B's, and I happen to think this is definitely a good car to own.